My Hero Academia (1): Graduation
by BigRedKronos
Summary: Nearing the end of their graduating year, Class 1-A prepares for life as the world's next group of professional heroes. However, despite the threat of the League of Villains gone, more villainous organizations are springing up, one of them full of internationally-wanted death-row ex-convicts who will stop at nothing until they unleash their power on Japan. And possibly the entire p
1. Chapter 1: Test Results

Mr. Aizawa walked between the rows of seats passing out sheets of paper to each of the students by name. Once he was done, he walked back up to the front of the class, watching their expressions.

"Now I've given you your results from the test back. As expected, each of you have done exceptionally well with it. This far into your course and with your graduation in over a month, I'm satisfied with what I've seen this year."

"Bet'cha there's a 'however'." Denki Kaminari, a boy with blonde hair streaked with black strands whispered to his spiked up redhead neighbor, Eijirō Kirishima, with a smirk.

"However, Kaminari."

The blonde frizzed up in shock.

"There is also, as expected, room for improvement for each of you." The sleep-deprived teacher stated. "But that's fine. Even the best pro-heroes need to constantly adapt and improve their skills for new situations to come. I've written in each of your results individual studies and trainings recommended based on your quirks, hero-types, and fighting styles. As well as additional problem solving scenarios."

Various members of the class gave low audible groans.

"Don't push me or I'll just as easily double it. Your first assignments as pro-heroes could be writing essays to me." He glared his usually stuck glare. His quirk alone canceled out other quirks, but as their authority figure, it could easily pierce their souls too.

"Other than that, most of the stuff we'll be working on in and out of class will be practice professional hero work. Making sure agencies have their eyes on you. Go out and save some people, apprehend criminals, and most importantly stay within the laws set for you heroes-in-training. We'll also be planning your graduation so make sure agencies will want to come sponsor you. Besides the sports festival, graduations are also a good opportunity." He explained.

Izuku Midoriya, now recently turned 18 alongside his friends and classmates, sat in deep thought. "Gosh, it's the end of the final year and I still haven't done anything worth public praise like All Might could get. Maybe I should ask him how he did it. And what agencies he got to notice him, let alone sponsor him in his beginning years. Perhaps David Shield could assist me like he did All Might. He seems to be a very good guy and his daughter Melissa seems to like me and-"

"Hey, Deku-kun? You're muttering again." His fellow classmate, friend, and only-recently girlfriend, Ochako Uraraka, nudged his shoulder.

"AHH! Was I really muttering again?!" He snapped back to reality a little too loudly.

"Yes, Midoriya." Mr. Aizawa answered from across the room with his less than pleased stare.

"S-sorry sensei." The young green haired hero moaned in shame. He turned to Ochako and whispered. "I thought I was doing better at that. I thought it was just in my head."

"No, no, you are doing better. But I did hear half of that rambling, Izu." She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Right. Sorry, Ochako." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Not to worry." Her smile grew and she nudged him again playfully.

"Shush you two. Class isn't over yet." Their mutual best friend and class representative, Tenya Iida whispered sternly with his finger up over his mouth.

"Hey whattaya guys say we all hit up the mall later?" Kirishima asked.

"On patrol?" Iida asked for clarification.

"That, or just for fun. Once we're pro-heroes, fun public outings will be more rare than common." He explained.

"I'm in." Momo Yaoyorozu whispered to them with a thumbs up.

"Alright. Since there's only a few minutes left in time, and the fact that you're all practically in conversation anyway, let's just call it a day." Aizawa sighed loudly.

Everyone felt guilty but those emotions quickly turned to excitement. "To the mall it is!" Kaminari cheered waving his finger in the air. His girlfriend, Kyōka Jirō sighed. She questioned everyday why they decided to become a couple and their relationship was in fact rocky. Yet they always seemed to fall in love with each other immediately afterwards over and over again.

Each of the classmates all regrouped outside their dormitory in regular civilian clothing that reflected each of their unique styles.

"See Iida, times like this are especially important! How often do twenty friends get to hang out together at the mall as regular people?" Kirishima asked with a massive smile on his face.

"What exactly do twenty people do together at a mall?" Their classmate, Shōto Todoroki asked.

"He's got a point. We've usually gone together in smaller groups and it was easy that way." Their feminine frog-like classmate, Tsuyu Asumi mentioned.

"How bout we split up and do whatever each group wants, then meet over at the food court for a dinner?" Yaoyorozu asked.

They each gave their opinions on it and came to the unified approval for the plan.

Kirishima, Kaminari, Jirō, and fellow classmate and hot head, Katsuki Bakugō split off while other various groups assembled and left to do their own thing.

Midoriya was left with his girlfriend Ochako and close friends Tenya, Fumikage Tokoyami, and Tsuyu.

"Well guys, what should we do first?" Ochako asked being the first to speak up.

"I wonder if this place has any cool hero get-up. Like casual clothing specifically suited to pro-heroes." Tsuyu said with a finger to her chin.

"Oh great idea!" Tenya added. "I've heard of malls having a certain brand more commonplace for heroes."

"I'm not too picky on my styles." Tokoyami mentioned folding his arms.

"Oh I'm sure black isn't a hard color to find in clothes." Ochako giggled.

Midoriya let out a chuckle with her as they all began their search.

Meanwhile a short distance behind the group of friends, a reptilian figure watched in the shadow of one of the unconnected mall buildings.

"This is Devitoko. I've got a few tough looking ones in my sight. Just say the word and I'll engage." He hissed into an earpiece on his head.


	2. Chapter 2: Team Twilight Fist

The night before...

Down at the docks, various figures worked in the dark to signal a ship out in the bay ashore.

"New recruits. America?" One of them asked as he stood next to one man in an army green trenchcoat.

"Oh yeah. They got our message and that's their boat. Poor, devoted suckers traveled a long way so let's give them a nice warm, Japanese welcome." The man smiled with his arms folded.

"Sure thing. Can always appreciate the extra hands. So when are we gonna bust Arach-Nick outta the prison?" The goon asked.

"As soon as our new friends have been acquainted." The man smiled with a light green glow in his eyes. He was bald toward the front of his head with three fleshy growths that sprouted out and curled back reconnecting into his shoulder blades and spine through his coat. Any hair on his head was buzzed short and he had a constant green glow about him.

As the ship pulled up to the dock and dropped anchors, a shadowy personage perched above on a nearby warehouse adjacent to the scene.

"I got eyes on everyone. 15 bogeys. And 21 more on the boat. Nucleon, Triggerhead, Dartsen Carge, Devitoko, and various low-level street thugs." He said into his helmet which pointed up like a dunce cap. He was dressed all in dark blue and black and had bizarrely colored eyes overlooking everything, darting back and forth, processing information even in the pitch black night of the new moon. He could see anything there with his quirk.

"Copy that. Give me the closest ones to my position." A female voice ordered on his communication device.

"You've got two directly in front of you. Most are gathered at the boat mixing with the new meats... There's more than we anticipated... Do not engage." He ordered back.

"Crow-Man, that's Nucleon leading them! This could be our only available chance before he goes into hiding again." She countered.

"I said do not engage, Ar-Marie. There's too many."

"...What if we took out the boat?" A third voice added her opinion.

"The boat?"

"Yeah, most of them are huddled there and some are still inside coming out, right? Let's just take them out one by one."

"I'm surprised you want to stick to stealth, Aim-Girl." The figure, Crow-Man smirked.

"Babe I've been working on listening to you easier. We get more opportunity to fight when it's done right. Just a motto I invented that I based off you." She whined.

"So what's the plan? Encognito's getting impatient here." The woman, Ar-Marie mentioned.

"Encognito and Ar-Marie, you two take out those two separate from the group. And you, Encognito, get onto that boat in disguise and start fighting." Crow-Man ordered.

He didn't need to tell them twice. He watched as the two guards were pulled back into the shadows behind them, then one stepped back out as if nothing happened at all and marched up to the group at the boat.

"Everyone, get ready. Once he starts going off, everyone's gonna be on high alert." Crow-Man announced.

Just as he predicted, the "guard" had reached the boat and rather than helping the other criminals on the dock, he grabbed the closest one and slammed his head into the ground.

Immediately everyone launched themselves at the doppelganger, whose entire composition changed from the guard to his true form.

"IT'S ENCOGNITO!" One of the criminals shouted as multiple charged him.

The creature, Encognito, that stood before them was very muscular, bald, with sharp teeth bared, pointed ears, and very prepared for the fight ahead.

"You ready, babe?" A girl asked suddenly sitting beside Crow-Man.

"Oh jeez! Don't do that to me!" He warned her. "Just open fire."

"Sure thing." She giggled and kissed his cheek. Then pulled a rifle from seemingly out of thin air and began to fire on the crowd engaging onto Encognito.

The criminals grew confused and angry as they went back and forth watching Encognito tear through their ranks like Styrofoam. While various criminals dropped to the ground with a bullet hole in their shoulders and legs.

As Aim-Girl continued to fire from the rooftop, Crow-Man and the woman, Ar-Marie dropped out and charged the crowd. "TWILIGHT FIST! YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!" He shouted.

Many villains from the crowd took their attention from Encognito behind them to the two heroes charging them. "Alrighty boys! You know the drill!" The leader in the trenchcoat shouted.

As Encognito and Aim-Girl had already neutralized several weaker villains, the remaining roared out and ran towards Crow-Man with pure rage.

"This won't end well!" He heard his colleague shout to him as she wielded a large bowstaff that looked like it was made out of bone.

He pulled out a small round object from his belt and launched it at the ground between him and the villains. Upon contain, it exploded loud and brightly as it emitted a thick cloud of smoke. Ar-Marie began swinging her staff at the crowd, carrying one villain and launching him at another. The smoke carried further into the crowd as villains were pulled away from each other one or two at a time and beaten unconscious out of sight.

"WHERE IS HE?!" One villain roared.

"Devitoko, find him." The leader ordered his reptilian dragon lizard-quirked partner. The creature nodded his head and got down low on all fours crawling under the fists and screams of the angry group. He stuck his long tongue out and his eyes grew wide. "I've caught his scent but he's moving fast. He's using the smoke as cover but he can see through it easily."

At that moment Devitoko felt someone grab his tail and throw him back. Encognito had made his way to the reptilian villain and swung him around by his tail, releasing him in the direction of his leader. The leader laughed and evaded his incoming comrade.

"Aim-Girl, contact the authorities!" Ar-Marie shouted as she continued to fend off villains left and right around her. Crow-Man charged the remaining the villains as the smoke began to clear. He overpowered each of them one by one using martial arts that forced him to work redirecting any attacks back around to the attackers.

The leader, Nucleon, laughed as his body's glow grew brighter until his coat burned away at the intensity. He held out his hand as a concentrated green laser blasted out. Upon impact, it melted half of the warehouse roof. He laughed as he fired again toward the heroes on the ground. Each of them dodged the attack but became disoriented.

"Retreat! Lead everyone out of here." Nucleon ordered him.

Devitoko growled and quickly gathered anyone still on their feet and began to run quickly to the space between two distant buildings. There was still a significant number of villains still standing that ran. Three stayed behind including the leader.

"Crow-Man." He addressed the hero.

"Nucleon." Crow-Man groaned, staring angrily at him. "Your days of sneaking around undetected are over."

"Oh, old friend. I honestly wish they were too. But I've still got a few jobs left to do before we can have our little chat again." The villain sighed.

As he spoke, his comrades picked up any villains not horribly wounded and pulled them off. Encognito and Ar-Marie tried to attack but Devitoko reappeared, grabbing Ar-Marie by her neck and placing a claw on her throat.

"Call your friends off, or my friend here might make a butcher's dinner out of Sailor Moon." He said sternly, yet calmly.

"Forget this, just get them! This is our chance!" Ar-Marie yelled.

Encognito tried to step closer to stop them but the villains had knocked him down and finished escaping. "Where is Aim-Girl?!" He roared.

Crow-Man looked at each of his teammates. Everything happened so fast. The villains were so enraged, throwing themselves into their team like fodder. "You may be right, you filthy rat. Now's not my day." Crow-Man lowered his fists.

"Good choice. Dartsen! You can let the girl go now." Nucleon smirked.

At his command, a villain dropped down from the adjacent warehouse rooftop and dropped Aim-Girl, unconscious, at Crow-Man's feet.

"I'm not like other villains, aren't I?" Nucleon asked. "When was my last registered murder?"

Crow-Man refused to answer but he knew.

"You see, I'm what you may call...Born Again. Surely you should know this about me after hunting me all this time. Go ahead, check that boat. You won't find drugs or money or weapons. No. We just want friends." He smiled and stepped side to side confidently. "And friends, we shall have."

Devitoko released Ar-Marie and threw her to the ground. He then stomped over to Encognito who was straining to get up. He placed his clawed foot on Encognito's chest and pressed down. "You'd make a good opponent. Until then, shifter."

Nucleon smiled and reached out as Devitoko grabbed him and pulled him away with Dartsen Carge to join the others in the shadows.

Crow-Man looked down at each of his friends then watched as the villains left. He didn't tend back to them until he couldn't see the fiends anymore. "I've failed you guys..."


	3. Chapter 3: Old Friends With Old Tricks

Midoriya and his four friends continued to look around in one of the clothing stores. Ochako and Tsuyu had picked out matching "BFF" sweaters as the men looked at ties.

"Ochako-san. Not to tell you how to do your caretaking job, but you should get Eri a shirt or two." Tsu recommended.

"Oh yes, that's a great idea, Tsuyu!" Ochako smiled wide. "I'll get her a matching shirt with one of mine."

"Perhaps 'Mommy and Me'." Tsu said with the tip of her tongue stuck out the side of her smirked mouth.

Ochako quickly felt her cheeks burn red. "O-one step at a time, Tsu."

Meanwhile Tenya Iida was mumbling to himself as he browsed the ties. Midoriya was the first to speak up.

"Hey, Iida? Everything alright?"

"Oh yes! Um. Yeah. I've just been very anxious lately." He bluntly admitted. "Just about the events to come within the next month."

"We all are, Iida." Tokoyami added. "But something seems a little anxious with you than just the inevitable graduation."

"It's all just personal stress." Tenya explained.

"Iida, you know we don't keep secrets from our circle of brothers." Midoriya smiled.

Tenya put down the tie he had been holding for what seemed like five minutes. "Mei Hatsume has asked me to join her for dinner."

Midoriya chuckled, even Tokoyami gave a smirk. "What's so bad about that? You've been on dates with her before."

"They were not dates! She needed my help in her workshop and we went out for coffee once or twice. But this time she emphasized that word when she asked... Date." He sighed.

"Even though she used you for product placement at the sports festival our first year, you two seemed like a potential couple all these years. And you seemed quick to forgive her for that when she asked you to help her in her workshop." Tokoyami said as he browsed clothing further down the store.

"W-well I. I um. This isn't-"

"If I may, Iida, there's nothing wrong with taking your relationship with her a step up. It sure took me forever to finally step it up with Uraraka." Midoriya said putting a hand on his friend's broad shoulder.

"But our lives could end up so different. I-it may not work out." He sighed defeated.

"That's everyone's big fear in a relationship, Iida. I get that too." His green-haired friend said.

"Me and Tsu get that together sometimes but we talk about it." Tokoyami added again.

"You're just not gonna know for sure. But being in a relationship like that takes both sides to work. I think you two would make a great couple!" Midoriya said giving him a big confident smile.

"Thank you. Both of you. I really appreciate it." Tenya smiled back.

"Do you think the girls will mind if we still don't have anything picked out?" Tokoyami sighed changing the subject back to their current situation.

Tenya and Izuku looked at each other and grew slight concern.

~~~~~

Tsu held her purchases as she watched Ochako chatting with the store clerk about kid sizes as well as pro-hero casual clothing.

"Asui?..." A masculine voice hissed behind her.

It sounded like it was just over her shoulder but as she turned there was just the near-empty store, aside from the three boys still toward the front.

"Asui, turn to your left." The voice instructed her.

She skeptically turned her head and saw down the aisle out of sight from everyone else present, a tall humanoid lizard wearing shorts and a big blue coat unzipped. He had big yellow eyes with multiple sets of slits over white pupils, his head curved into a downward point in the back and his long claws looked retracted. Whether he was a threat or not, he wasn't intending anything then. Still, Tsu raised her fists just above her waist, not quite in battle ready stance.

"Don't you remember me?" He asked.

She remained silent.

"Aichi Hana Academy. We were classmates. Your mother would carpool us together." He took a step forward.

Tsu took a slight turn back.

"Devi?" She asked not showing the emotions inside her.

"Yes. You probably have a lot of questions for me but I don't have much time. If you want to talk again, meet me at the train station tomorrow."

"I can't-"

"This is important. If you want to see me again, meet me there." He instructed.

She sighed then nodded once. "Something is about to happen, isn't it?"

He didn't answer. Instead, his skin changed colors and suddenly the coat fell to the ground as he and his shorts disappeared. She felt his invisible figure cruise by and out the door.

"Ochako, we need to go now." She quickly turned and said.

Ochako looked at her. "Something wrong?" She asked.

Tsu wanted to answer. She was never one to keep secrets, especially from her friend. But Devitoko had a deeper impact to her past and she couldn't pass up the opportunity, even if the risk was great. She had to know what happened to him and why he appeared this day. And if that means something terrible is about to happen. "W-we should just go. I don't feel right."

The two girls grabbed the boys and walked out without argument.

"Should we call it a day, guys? Tsu said she isn't feeling too good." Ochako asked.

Tsu made a noise like she wanted to correct Uraraka but stopped herself.

"I will text the others that we're leaving." Iida said whipping his phone out.

"A-are you sure we should just leave?" Tsu asked.

"If you are not feeling well, it's best to get you back home!" He scolded.

"Yeah, if we text the others it should be fine. I don't mind leaving early." Midoriya said.

"I'm never against leaving public eye." Tokoyami sighed in relief. "Let's get you home, Tsu."

As they began to walk away, they heard a familiar livid voice echo across the outdoor mall.

"WHAT THE SHI-?!"

Immediately, an even louder booming explosion echoed, knocking everyone back.


	4. Chapter 4: New Foes to Face

Midoriya and his group of friends all flinched hearing the explosion. They took one quick equally concerned look at each other and ran towards the source.

"OUTTA THE WAY! PROVISION-LICENSED FUTURE HEROES!" Tenya yelled at the crowds of panicking people in their way.

They quickly approached a big open space with Katsuki Bakugou, Eijiro Kirishima, Mina Ashido, and Denki Kaminari all standing defensively as crowds of people frantically fleed from the scene.

"Guys! What happened?!" Izuku shouted leading his group into the circle.

"STAY BACK!" Kirishima ordered. "Some villain just tried killing some kid behind us!"

"What kid?!" Ochaco looked around with the others still unfamiliar.

"He... He was just here."

"Where is the villain, Bakugou?! That was clearly your quirk we heard!" Tenya said.

"HE'S RIGHT THERE YOU IDIOTS!"

Just then a wave of what appeared to be flying shards of black glass came right at the blonde haired hero, who immediately reacted by blasting them again.

"Eheheheheh!" A masculine voice laughed. Everyone turned toward the source: a very muscular man with short red hair with several open wounds across his exposed skin and face. "Damn you kids! I shouldn't even be laughing. You just made my mission like, a hundred times harder." He said with a smile that seemed very forced yet appeared stuck naturally on his face.

The black shards flew right back to him from all directions and fused into his skin, growing his size even more. "Your friend has quite the explosive attitude. Imagine if I wasn't a threat. You would be charged with attacking someone."

"Screw you man!" Kirishima snapped at him. "Nobody picks on Bakugou except his friends... Which is us."

"This ain't about any of you." The villain said gesturing to all the classmates present. "I came here for a kid. One kid. And actually, not to kill him."

"What for, may I ask?" Izuku asked stepping forward courageously.

He smirked. "You're pretty tough with your band of followers behind you. I'd like to see your squirrely ass all alone."

"Why are you trying to find a kid here?" Tokoyami asked.

As they spoke, the rest of their classmates that previously had gone to the food court across the mall joined the gathering in the back.

"I'm not one for Q-n-A's. In fact, I think I'll just end this here. Even if I have to fight every single one of you, I will."

"Get ready guys! He can turn his whole body into flying glass shards!" Mina warned the group.

Everyone stood ready, whether they really were or not.

The villain laughed and threw his hands out to them, shards erupted from his arms until they were completely gone from his body all the way up to his shoulders. The shards flew randomly all around the group cutting and whizzing past everyone close enough to leave cuts.

Kirishima hardened his skin and began swatting at the jagged swarm flying around and above everyone's heads. Mineta ran from the back and began pulling balls from his head and tossing them to as many clusters as he could. Everyone else was shielding each other from the attacks while receiving their own cuts.

Tokoyami unleashed Dark Shadow, a shadowy entity that acted as his quirk, which quickly attempted to wrap itself around the group.

Suddenly, amidst all this chaos. Everything froze. The bravest and closest heroes with their arms covering their faces. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow outstretched, protecting Tsuyu, Jirō, and continuing to grow over the others. A few shards were centimeters away from Izuku's face as he foolishly has his hand outstretched to punch the villain rather than to protect himself with the others.

In stepped a young preteen boy with a Hispanic-Asian complexion. Dark blue hair greased back, grey worn-down hoodie, and green pants. As time remained frozen, he freely walked around.

Yet there was still the sense of urgency in his steps as he went across the scene, pushing shards away that were close to fatally cutting or stabbing the high school seniors. Then, he moved up to Midoriya and pushed the shards away from his face. "What an idiot." He sighed then walked up to the villain, looked at him for a moment, then planted his fist right into his face as hard as he could.

He groaned and lifted his hands up to his ears and snapped his fingers.

All at once, time resumed as if it never stopped. Only the shards all missed their targets, hitting the ground or Dark Shadow's tough skin, and the villain exploded into hundreds of more shards that collapsed to the ground. They remained still for the moment.

Izuku stood awkwardly with his fist out witnessing that. "What just happened?..."

The boy was standing before the group dusting himself off and catching his breath. "Sup."

"...'Sup'?... 'SUP'?!" Bakugou marched toward the preteen.

Midoriya stepped in between them. "Kacchan, no." He said sternly.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Bakugou roared.

Midoriya turned himself around to look at the boy. "Would you mind if we asked you a few questions?"

"Guys, maybe we should just let the police handle this. We're not completely pro-heroes yet so we wouldn't want to get caught up anymore with what just happened." Momo Yaoyorozou suggested.

"That villain didn't seem interested in anything here except you." Midoriya said. He heard and knew Momo was right but this was important in the moment for him. "Why?"

The boy awkwardly shuffled his feet. "I-I'm not sure."

"He's lying." Tsuyu said as Dark Shadow let go of her and sunk back in to Tokoyami's person.

In the distance the group turned to hear police sirens swiftly approaching.

"Let's go, everyone. The police will handle these two." Shōto Todoroki ordered.

Midoriya had turned away for a moment. Then he turned back. "Kid, we need you to-"

He was gone from the scene.

"Guys! He disappeared!" He yelled.

"He's not our business, you idiot!" Bakugou snapped then began to walk away. "Come on, extras."

Izuku sighed and inspected the ground at his feet. Then he realized the shards of glass were gone as well. He launched back on his feet in a panic. "THE VILLAIN'S GONE TOO!"


	5. Chapter 5: Shelter

Mr. Aizawa had all the boys and girls of Class 1-A sit around him inside the common area of their dorms. Toshinori Yagi accompanied him in a simple button-up shirt.

"Now that we have you all here." Aizawa began. "You all know none of you are official professional licensed heroes yet. So you do not yet answer to the local police chiefs exactly. But you do answer to us."

"We don't need to hear your side of the story. We know what happened." Toshinori added.

"And what happened today was disgraceful." Aizawa frowned. "I know which of you are more guilty than others. Most of you were just there at the scene. But some of you did engage in a fight before you analyzed the situation."

Bakugou glared at him and folded his arms.

"We don't need to justify your actions by telling you who it was you were fighting. But that man at the mall was an escaped death-row inmate. He could and would have killed any one of you today. Now comes the part where we ask what happened."

"If you said you already know, why do you need to hear it from us?" Bakugou asked.

"Because the news coverage never caught the end result. And I'm trusting that each of you could come together and tell the truth."

"Simple." A voice said behind him.

Aizawa quickly swung behind him, pulling his scarf out to trap the surprise guest but as he did, he saw no one there. Toshinori looked around. "Someone with an invisibility quirk here?"

"Don't look at me!" Hagakure squeaked sitting on one of the sofas next to Tsuyu.

"No invisibility, man." The voice said. This time everyone turned to the source and saw a young preteen boy in a dirty grey hoodie and green pants shrugging as he munched on a piece of leftover chocolate cake, most likely from Rikido Sato.

"Hey! That's mine!" Rikido frowned.

The entire room stood on their feet in battle-ready positions.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Aizawa snapped at a level no on there heard in a long time.

The boy snickered and rested against the wall. "Name's Hansuke. And like a lost little puppy, I followed these guys home. I mean, I saved their butts back at that mall so I figured they could return the favor giving me a safe place to sleep tonight."

"We've already got a little rescue kid staying here with us." Mina said.

"Don't worry, everyone! It'll be like I was never here! My quirk lets me freeze time for a few moments and do as I please. I'll just crash on the couch or something." He smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me..." He lifted up his hands to his ears and snapped both his fingers.

But nothing happened. "Oh uh... That's weird."

Aizawa stared angrily at him. "Kid. You're coming with me."

Midoriya stepped in. "W-wait, Mr. Aizawa. At least let him explain himself more. He did save us from that villain. And he was the one the villain was after."

Hansuke held his hands up in surrender. "Look... He's right. Those jerks have been after me for a few days now... I've been chased by gangs and thugs all over Tokyo and back but...these guys are relentless. It's like a 'join us or die' kinda deal. Only they're trying to force me to join."

"Join what, exactly?" Toshinori asked.

"Some gang or something. They seem more like a cult to me." He shivered. "They haven't told me though. It's like Doorkeeper Circle or something like that."

Toshinori's eyes grew wider. "That name sounds familiar. Do they have a leader?"

Hansuke shrugged. "I'm not really sure but one of the guys seemed to take charge to the others. His name is Nucleon."

The retired Symbol of Peace took a step back.

"Why do they want to recruit you so bad?" Uraraka budged in.

"Who are you?" Izuku added.

Hansuke sighed and dropped to the floor to sit down. "I was supposed to go to UA last fall. But crap hit the fan. And I ended up on the streets."

Everyone listened intently to his story. Aizawa calmed down but kept his eyes on the boy.

"They wanted me for my quirk. I can freeze time with the snap of both fingers at the same time by my ears. But it tires me out if I do it too long or too much. I heard these thugs are hunting people down with powerful quirks based on time, space, and energy. And mine is apparently really useful." Hansuke exhaled.

"All Might, do you know this Nucleon guy and his gang?" Izuku asked turning to Toshinori.

"I fought Nucleon many years ago. He was a powerful villain that could absorb energy and use it himself. It took everything I had at the time but I defeated him." He explained. "But I watched him die... He overloaded with power and blew up like an overheated battery."

"I saw him with my own eyes." Hansuke said. "He threatened my life. He threatened all I had left."

"And yet you ran." Shouto Todoroki concurred.

"Mighty brave young man." Toshinori said.

"Mr. Aizawa." Izuku bowed himself before his teacher. "I take responsibility of my actions from today. I only ask that you let Hansuke stay here for the time being. Those villains are probably still looking for him and no where is safer than here with us."

Aizawa sighed.

"You already have Eri staying with you, sensei. Having Hansuke here would be easiest." Uraraka added as she clutched Izuku's hand.

"Fair enough. Just don't let him imprint on you like she did." Aizawa sighed.

"Do what now?" Hansuke overheard.

Midoriya and Uraraka exchanged a blush on their faces and bowed. "Thank you, sir."

Hansuke immediately stood up excitedly. "Thank you all so much!"

"Does this conclude our meeting?" Shouto asked.

"Yes. You're all free to go to bed." Toshinori waved them off and started walking to to door.

"Goodnight, All Might sensei!" Ochako waved back.

~~~~~

As the remainder of students had gone to bed, Ochako kissed Izuku's cheek and went off herself, leaving him with Hansuke.

"Here." He handed him an extra set of pajamas and blankets. "Bathrooms are down the hall on the left. Just let me know if you need anything. My dorm room isn't far. Just don't go sneaking around the girl's side."

Hansuke smiled and took the stuff from him. "Thank you, Deku."

"Deku?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah! At the sports festival earlier this year they called you Deku when you won. Is that your hero name?"

He smiled back."Yeah. It is. Goodnight, Hansuke."


	6. Chapter 6: Limitations

Hansuke woke up the next day feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time. Although he was still feeling the usual morning slowness as he got up and shuffled to the kitchen area.

He opened the fridge and squinted at everything already labeled as somebody's property in the dorm. Some even had death threats on them, most likely from Bakugou.

"Good afternoon, Hansuke!" Izuku announced.

The boy jumped around to see the green haired young man in his school uniform. "A-afternoon?!"

"Yeah! Did you just wake up?" He asked.

Hansuke blushed in embarrassment and looked at the clock. 2:33pm. "I-I am sorry, Midoriya-kun. I didn't mean to sleep in."

Izuku waved off the apology. "It's no big deal. How did you sleep?"

The young boy smiled lightly, mostly with relief. "Really good. Good couches like that are hard to come by cheap."

Izuku frowned. "Did you actually have anywhere to live before this?"

Hansuke lowered his head with a very subtle shake but quickly changed the subject. "Do we have a plan set today?"

"Well, police are searching the city for those villains. But other than that, nothing else has come up, so...no not really." Izuku shrugged.

Hansuke bounced on his heels. "W-well...would it be safe to go out?"

"Hmm... Have you ever been hunted before like this?" Midoriya asked.

Hansuke once again shook his head softly. "It's scary, yes... But I don't want to just stay in here. I want to do something more. I've been independent for the past year now. I've fought my fair share of battles in dark alleys and places."

Izuku sighed and put his hand on Hansuke's shoulder. "I'll see what Mr. Aizawa and Principal Nezu will allow. But I assume they won't let you go very far off the campus."

Hansuke smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Midoriya."

Midoriya stood up straight. "I got an idea of something I could have you do. And it's just right here on campus!"

The chronospeed-quirked boy tilted his head in confusion.

~~~~~~

"Okay." Izuku stood across a blank platform from Hansuke.

Both were fitted with the blue UA sportswear and faced each other at opposite ends of a square drawn out on the platform.

"Here's what you're gonna do, Hansuke. Your job is to knock me out of bounds. My job, is to knock you out of the bounds. We go until each of us has gotten our opponent out three times." He instructed.

Hansuke gulped and pulled at his pants, which were a tad tight around his waist. He was visibly uncomfortable but still pulled through and agreed to do some quirk training.

"Ready?" Izuku asked quickly getting himself into a fighting stance with his arms up and knees bent.

Hansuke nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I am."

"Ok, hajimeru!" Izuku launched himself at lightning speed toward the boy.

Hansuke quickly snapped his fingers at his ears and watched Izuku slow down, but not stop. He was moving so fast that he could even contend with how slow Hansuke had made time in that moment.

He quickly jumped out of the way as Izuku changed course, avoiding the white lines. He continued to run in slow motion toward Hansuke, who gained enough confidence to rush the future-hero.

They collided.

As Izuku stumbled off his feet, he was still too far from the line to cross them. While Hansuke was thrown farther back, passing the white line and hitting the ground. He snapped his fingers at his ears again as time regained its usual speed.

Midoriya groaned as he stood up and walked over to the edge. "You okay, kid?"

Hansuke began to breathe heavily as sweat formed in his face. He nodded to let him know he was okay but he looked very worn out.

Izuku jumped down and pulled him on his feet. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is he used up all his energy in that one go." Aizawa explained, suddenly in the room leaning against the wall.

Ochako and Eri were with him holding hands.

"Aizawa-sensei." Midoriya bowed. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Ms. Uraraka told me Eri wanted to practice some of the martial arts she and GunHead were teaching her. But when we came in and saw you two training, we decided to watch. We came in right as you began and Hansuke seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. I did notice his silhouette when he hit you though." Aizawa explained.

Hansuke sighed in embarrassing defeat.

"If you want to be able to compete against people like Izuku, you gotta know how your quirk works with your body's limitations. Even Izuku had to learn to adapt his body to such power." The teacher said as he walked closer to the two. "Just focus your breathing right now. When you catch your breath, I want to see how long you can hold your quirk before you tire out."

Hansuke nodded as Izuku supported him up with his arm around his shoulders.

"Do you know what happened, Izu?" Ochako asked.

"Well, I think he was surprised I was moving fast enough for him. I could faintly see his body moving around really quick. Almost like on another plane of existence." Izuku said.

"That's part of his quirk. Chronospeed lets him travel around on a plane that doesn't follow the laws of time. But what he should know is how long he can do such a thing. I can see why some villains would want such power." Aizawa said.

A few moments later, Hansuke's breathing had slowed down back to normal. Aizawa patted him on the back as Izuku let him stand on his own.

"Right here, I want you to snap your fingers and hold it for three of your seconds. Make sure you're the one counting." He instructed.

He nodded and spread his knees in stance. "Time stop!" He announced as he snapped his fingers over his ears.

He counted out loud as he looked ahead at the four in front of him completely frozen with a blue hue around their bodies. "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three mississippi. Time start!"

He snapped his fingers again and felt his chest grow a little heavy.

"Was that three seconds?" Izuku asked. "It just felt like one."

"It's three seconds to him." Aizawa explained. "For us when he uses his quirk, it's as if he never did anything at all. But for him, it's as long as he can handle."

"Did you ever black out still in the chrono-plane thing before, Hansuke?" Ochako asked.

Hansuke quickly shook his head. "I-I got close once but n-no."

"Interesting. Midoriya, help him test his limits and see if he can push them further." The teacher ordered.

"Are you going somewhere?" Izuku asked.

"Yes. They just called for me to come in about where the villains could be hiding and they need my quirk." Aizawa said.

"Good luck, sensei. Be careful." Ochako said.

Eri quickly gave him a hug on his leg before he walked out.


	7. Chapter 7: Movement In The Dark

"I feel like whenever you call me out to do this, it's just a cop-out every time." Aizawa frowned at the group of heroes before him.

"Sometimes, it can be. Since your quirk can just cancel out quirks. But we requested you specifically because we may have found where that gang of villains that attacked the mall are hiding." A towering humanoid orca whale hero, Gang Orca, explained.

"The gang is connected to the group that were at the docks the other night." The hero dressed in dark blue with a pointed helmet said.

"Crow-Man? They requested you too?" Aizawa asked.

"Because I was there at the docks and I watched my team and I be played like an orchestra." The hero frowned and crossed his arms.

"So they're connected?" Aizawa asked, turning back to Gang Orca. "The punks at the mall were there because they were trying to catch a kid with a time-stopping quirk."

"Time-stopping quirk?" The hero known as Best Jeanist repeated.

"Yeah. They're recruiting people with time, energy, and space-based quirks for something. That's what the kid told me." The quirk-cancelling hero said.

"That sounds like them. Nucleon and his freaks at the docks." Crow-Man sighed.

"He even said Nucleon..." Aizawa looked down in thought. "So I assume you have an idea where they might be."

"Oh we know where they ALL MIGHT be!" A female voice cheered behind Aizawa.

"Son of a bitch." Aizawa rolled his bloodshot eyes as he turned around to see Ms. Joke smiling at him. "First of all, All Might isn't here so that joke doesn't work. Second, why are you here?"

"Oh that's right!" She snorted. "You'd think after two and a half years, I'd remember All Might retired. Guess they're right when they say legends never die."

"You still haven't answered my question about why you're here. You've only shown me why you shouldn't be."

"We've called in a couple heroes strategically for this mission. These are lesser known villains, but nonetheless extremely dangerous. It's also because they're lesser known that they are higher danger than most." Gang Orca said. "But it's also somewhat of a stealth mission so we didn't bother with large scale quirk heroes like Endeavor."

"I feel like the only strategic thing about bringing Ms. Joke is to mess with me." Aizawa glared.

"That's entirely up to her, not my idea." Gang threw his large hands up in defense. "But she's very strong and loyal. A valuable asset."

Aizawa folded his arms and shrunk down feeling her squish up beside him. "Sooooo."

"Don't start with me. Not now." He sighed.

"Alright people." Crow-Man announced. "We believe where the villains gather is under the city. And they use the sewer systems to get around quietly."

"Based on imaging from my sonar technology, amplified with both mine and Crow-Man's combined quirks, we've located a large chamber deep under where multiple sewer management tunnels converge. And I detected movement in the dark." Gang Orca continued.

"Do we know all villains currently involved?" Ms. Joke asked.

"Nucleon, Devitoko, Himiko Toga, Twice, Portaler-Jack, Triggerhead, and Dartsen Carge who attacked the mall. But there's more from America I couldn't recognize. And more we may not know about." Crow-Man said.

"We know the basics. Who they are. What they're after. And where they are hiding. Now let's go find them and ask them ourselves about any missing information." Gang Orca said.

"Heh. Get it? Cause we're gonna interrogate them and stuff?" Ms. Joke nudged Aizawa's arm with her elbow.

"Ow." He said in monotone.

~~~~~~~

"FREEZE!" The pro-hero Snipe shouted as he burst through a concrete seal into the underground chamber with his pistols out pointed ahead of him in two directions.

"Nobody move!" Ms. Joke charged from behind him.

Crow-Man and Shota Aizawa landed together from an opening above.

Best Jeanist and Gang Orca burst through a third entryway with Gunhead. "You're surrounded, villains!"

But what stood before them was a series of small huts and a group of very confused and frightened people.

"Wh-wha..." Ms. Joke looked around.

Crow-Man grabbed the closest man to him by his collar. He was dressed in dirty rags with a cloak over most of his body. "What is this place?! Who are you people?!"

"They are simple refugees. Escaping your tyrannical reign of glorified heroism."

All the heroes turned up to the source of the voice.

Nucleon sat comfortably on top of the biggest hut. "Welcome to the underworld! A simple society that lives out of the bright light that shines from your perfect smiles."

"Sasaki Nissho. Nucleon. We place you under our arrest." Crow-Man stated, dropping the cloaked man.

Nucleon laughed. "You've caused enough trouble in this little town. Breaking and entering. Breaking your own laws to reach us. You may see us as criminals. Villains. But in our society, we are brothers and sisters with individual quirks and talents. We work together as a family. And you're going to regret coming here."

The crowds of people in rags opened the huts up, tearing down walls that faced the team of heroes. Inside each of the huts were the villains confirmed to be in the gang.

Nucleon laughed as the hut he stood on fell apart underneath him, revealing a new villain to the group.

"It can't be..." Gang Orca gasped.

The towering villain had the head of a spider's, a thick hulking muscular body with dark grey pigmentation, two gigantic arms and equally large legs that bent down, leaving him hunched over, but still a very large being.

"Arach-Niq. If you'd be so kind as to show these trespassers the door..." Nucleon smiled standing beside him.

His right arm split in half down the middle. One of the new arms reached behind in his stained orange jumpsuit into a hump that took up all of his upper backside. He winced as his arm came back pulling a glowing strand of webbing with it.

The crowd of people rushed forward to the heroes as the towering spider-villain stretched his hand out, wrapped in the glowing webbing. Aizawa was tackled to the ground with Crow-Man. His entire hand glowed the same color and everyone screamed as a powerful laser blasted forward.


	8. Chapter 8: Vigilantism

Everyone sat in the dorms waiting for something to happen. Any alerts or breaking news or phone calls.

Some students sat on the couch in thought while others traced back and forth in the room or shuffling restlessly in place.

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other while Eri rested in Ochako's arms playing lazily with her brown locks of hair.

Tenya Iida, as class representative, was the one to get a message on his phone. He read it then spoke up. "Class 1-A." He sounded not as enthusiastic about the news. "Mr. Aizawa and the others are presumed missing. Possibly captured. They reached the villains' lair then their communications died."

Mina was among the first to react, burying her face in Eijiro's shoulder.

Izuku looked down in shame.

Katsuki marched to the outside door. "I'm just... I'm gonna go release some anger." He announced to Tenya.

Izuku turned to Ochako and kissed her cheek then followed after him.

Tsuyu watched them both walk out with worry in her eyes.

As soon as they were outside with the door shut, Katsuki jumped into the air then slammed his hand into the ground, roaring loudly the whole jump. As the ground burned with his large explosion, he yelled out. Then after a moment, his breathing slowed down.

"It's so stupid to go after him!" He said.

"No one said it was. Or mentioned that idea."

"No but everyone thought it, Deku! We're damn heroes! It's in our blood to go off and rescue someone we know is in trouble! My first thought, like others in there I know, is to go save them and stop those villains. If they can't stop them, who knows what they're capable of!" Katsuki snapped.

"I know, Kacchan. There's so many reasons to go. But we just can't."

"One week. One week is all that's keeping us from those damn licenses!" Katsuki said pointing his finger in the air.

"One slip between now and then could ruin it." Izuku said.

Katsuki turned away and huffed. "I'm not going to argue this anymore. I know all the risks. I know the risks it took to rescue me our first year. I know what it meant for you guys and for that frog girl... But I just can't stand around because they still won't call me a hero."

"You are a hero, Kacchan. And I'm going with you." Izuku sighed.

He turned back to Izuku in surprise.

"I can't stop you. It's pointless. You're right. There's so much risk involved and Tsuyu could be hurt again. But we still need Aizawa-sensei as he now needs us."

"Let me come with you guys." Hansuke broke the silence as he stood not far from them close to the dorm building.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Katsuki yelled.

Izuku shook his head. "Hansuke, get back inside."

"If you're going to break rules to save your teacher, you might as well get all the help you need! I know some things that could help. Let me help!" Hansuke protested.

"We are about to go right into the villains' lair! We're not about to meet them out at the mall or some other open place. We're going right to them! I can't be looking out for you when we're going to rescue people from actual killers!" Izuku scolded.

"Let him come, Deku. He can handle himself." Katsuki said.

Izuku switched his gaze back and forth between the two.

"I'll use my training you gave me. I won't go farther than I can handle." Hansuke said. "Please, Deku-sensei!"

Izuku forced himself not to smile at that honorable title given. "Alright. Fine. But stay right by me."

"You got it, boss." Hansuke saluted. "To the sewers!"

"Wait... To the what?" Izuku and Katsuki asked in unison.

A few minutes later, both Katsuki and Izuku were in their hero costumes following Hansuke who was just in his usual hoodie and green pants.

"Hansuke? While we have the chance here, may I ask you about your past? How did you get to where you are now?" Izuku asked and put a supporting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Um." He looked back at Izuku and sighed. "There's not much more to tell than you already know."

Katsuki rolled his eyes and followed them in silence.

"Were your parents heroes?" Izuku asked.

Hansuke looked down.

"Oh uh... Touchy subject?" He asked.

Hansuke shook his head after a moment. "It's fine. My father was a businessman from Tokyo and he met my mother on a business trip to Mexico. She was a pro-hero there. They started talking outside of work and she had me a year later."

"Did they ever get married?" Izuku asked.

"N-no... But a year ago, mí madré, my mother, sent me here to join UA. It...didn't work out. But I had no where else to go. UA was my only plan." Hansuke explained. "Until the day of the mall incident when you guys took me in." He gave a smile.

"So when did these villains come into play with you?" Katsuki butt in.

"I guess they must've watched the entrance exam. Everyone that was too good go accepted but I failed. Apparently I wasn't caught on the camera taking out the robots so they didn't mark it as evidence that it was my doing." Hansuke shrugged.

"How many did you get?" Katsuki asked.

"I didn't really count them myself. Somewhere around thirteen. Eight in just one time-stop hit." He said with a little pride.

"The villains must have seen something in the footage that the UA staff didn't. But how?" Izuku wondered out loud.

"You said you knew them before the mall. What happened?" Katsuki asked.

"They found me in an alleyway. I was just trying to sleep... It was that shards guy and some psycho chick dressed like a high schooler. They took me to the sewers, to Nucleon. He talked to me wanting me to join his group and promised I'd get out of homelessness." Hansuke said.

"What made you say no?" His green-haired mentor questioned.

"He's crazy... They're all crazy. They worship some interdimensional demon and kill police officers. If I am to be a hero, even if I can't go to UA for it, I've got to live like one." Hansuke sighed.

Izuku patted his back again. "Because of your brave choice, you've got a home, and friends." He smiled big.

Before Hansuke could say anymore than a small smile back, Katsuki walked ahead of them to a vertical drain shaped circular and lined with metal bars. He grabbed the bars and yelled as explosions erupted from his gripping hands, melting the bars all down.

"Let's not waste time here, kid." He said.


	9. Chapter 9: The Rescuers and The Rescued

With the help of Hansuke, the three young men were able to navigate through the sewer system toward the open chambers that Nucleon's gang was hiding.

They stopped just ahead of the opening, at the end of the long corridor.

"Okay, we need to analyze the situation: see how many villains we're dealing with here and what each of their abilities are." Izuku offered.

"Screw that! We don't have much time here before they find us!" Katsuki hissed.

"It's not a bad idea to have some sort of game plan." Hansuke mentioned. "I know that Nucleon is only interested in recruiting process power, energy, time, and space-based Quirks."

"That's a lot of power..." Izuku sighed.

"Are you kidding?! That's more than power! Those are like the most powerful kinds of Quirks!" Katsuki barked.

"Shh! They could hear us!" Hansuke warned.

"Well, Kacchan, it's good that you came along." Izuku patted the blonde's back.

"Don't touch me." He threatened.

"Eheheh..." Izuku ripped his hand away.

"Guys." Hansuke asked for their attention. "Nucleon did mention freeing a couple really bad guys from prison too. Knowing that heroes like Eraserhead got captured, it could be that they're already free."

"...Who?" Izuku asked.

"Arach-Niq." Hansuke shrugged.

"...Shit." Katsuki and Izuku looked at each other.

"Shit's right." A new voice said.

Just as the heroes turned to see who it was, Katsuki quickly threw his arms up as a wave of metal knives were thrown their direction.

Izuku tackled Hansuke to the ground for cover while Katsuki fell back with knives sticking in his gauntlets.

"Damn you!" He roared.

They all looked at the knife-skin villain Dartsen Carge emerging from the shadows with a low laugh. "Comin' to save your heroes? How cute. But the best part about this is... I get a round two at you punks."

Katsuki leapt from his seat on the ground with his hands outstretched toward the dangerous thug.

Carge roared back and prepared himself.

A gigantic explosion erupted from the blonde and traveled down the tunnel they came from, blinding everything in that direction in a wall of fire.

After a moment of Katsuki now catching his breath in silence, Hansuke spoke out. "You think that did it?"

"Who cares. Let's just get out of this area! There's no way they didn't hear that." Katsuki said.

"He's right. We'll find another way." Izuku added. "Let's get out of here!" He helped the young interracial boy stand up.

Suddenly, they felt something fly past their heads. They turned and watched as a ball of orange light burst into a giant glowing web that covered the escape tunnel. Their heads now turned to the source of the webbing and just as quickly, their stomachs dropped.

The very towering spider-villain mentioned before as Arach-Niq stood in the only avaliable opening, nearly taking up the entire space and almost hitting his head on the curved ceiling.

"Can't flee. So we fight." Izuku proclaimed."Have no fear, Hansuke. I'm here!" He began to glow green lightning. Veins of bright pink lit up over his bare skin.

Arach-Niq roared and charged at the same time Izuku lunged toward him. Hansuke watched in awe as the much smaller hero collided with the enormous villain. Both were sent back through the opening into the large chamber.

Katsuki followed through and let explosions release all over the place as he made his war-cry known.

Hansuke observed the scene back. While Izuku slammed his fists on to Arach-Niq's hard skin and face, Katsuki certainly spooked the villains that dotted the large chamber.

They all stared in shock before engaging with him. However, Hansuke watched how skilled of a fighter they both were in different settings. Izuku was able to hold back the pure strength and might of the spider villain while Katsuki darted from villain to villain, finishing them off in just one or two blows. An explosion or maybe a kick and a punch. Even with damaged gauntlets.

"Hansuke! Go find the heroes!" Izuku ordered as he grabbed Arach-Niq's thick arms and held them behind his back, also planting his red boot on the villain's hump.

Hansuke nodded and snapped his fingers over his ears. Everything froze to a halt.

He quickly climbed down to the floor and ran toward some makeshift huts in the back that seemed very out of place. Passing by frozen villains left and right, he wandered inside the first hut. Immediately, he found Eraserhead blindfolded and Gang Orca, both heavily bound with glowing webs.

Hansuke could feel himself grow lightheaded and snapped his fingers over his ears again.

Gang Orca nearly jumped in his restraints. "MMPHHHNNNN?!" He tried to speak.

"Shh! It's ok! I'm gonna get you all out of here!" Hansuke said.

Aizawa, also known as the hero Eraserhead, thrashed his mouth gag out of place. "HANSUKE?!"

"Shh! Shush! Yes I know! I shouldn't be here... And Deku and Ground Zero are with me. But we have a plan!" Hansuke explained.

"Go grab my goggles. The edge should be sharp enough to cut these webs. Go!" Aizawa ordered.

Hansuke obeyed and looked outside of the hut.

Katsuki was still battling the villains while Izuku and Arach-Niq clashed with a powerful intensity that cracked the concrete floor beneath their feet.

"Wait... Where's Nucleon?" Hansuke looked around then something made him look up.

At that moment, Nucleon laughed, firing a green laser down at the boy who quickly tripped himself back inside the hut out of range.

"Brave little Hansuke. But you've made a mistake choosing them over us." Nucleon said jumping down from the roof and stepping into the hut with them.

"Can you use your Quirk again?" Aizawa whispered.

"I'll try, sensei!" Hansuke said.

As he lifted his fingers up to his ears, Nucleon roared and fired a green laser directly at him from his hands.

Time stopped once again. Hansuke quickly rushed over to the goggles then back to the heroes tied up. He quickly sawed through the webs then rushed out of the hut and began to cut the webs off of other heroes tied up in the neighboring huts.

He noticed, as he worked, just how chaotic the scene was. Katsuki had just blown an explosion into the face of some rock-skinned villain. He was in mid-flight backwards. While the blonde was centimeters away from sending his foot into the throat of a female villain with what looked like bee stingers on her hands. Brutal.

He also looked to Izuku who was now pinned down by the spider-villain. His fat arms had split down the middle into four arms now, each one holding the young hero down.

Just as he finished and rushed over to help, he could feel his time run out and had to snap again.

As time resumed, Nucleon fired his laser, instead of hitting where Hansuke stood, the blast traveled through the hut and straight through the line of support beams holding the ceiling up.

Aizawa reacted just as fast as the blast, tackling Nucleon to the ground and wrapping him up in his scarf.

Gang Orca jumped up and began blasting everything with his paralyzing sonar. The other heroes sprang into action.

But everyone had to be quick. Hansuke could feel the ground shake. Cracks broke out in the concrete floor and traveled up the wall.

"Sensei! Senpai! We have to go now!" Hansuke shouted.

Katsuki resumed his attacks until he was knocked off balance by a villain with a long tail. Then the same villain pounced on top of him.

"Don't even breathe, kid." He threatened. It was Devitoko from the mall attack, old friend to Tsuyu Asui.

Dartsen Carge also appeared with a knife at Aizawa's throat. "You neither."

"Nobody move!" Nucleon ordered. "Or these three die." He gestured to Katsuki, then Aizawa, then to Izuku still pinned by Arach-Niq and out of energy.

The heroes Gang Orca, Crow-Man, Ms. Joke, and Best Jeanist were close to the exit now. But it was none of their intentions to leave without their rescuers-turned-hostages. How the tables have turned. It goes to show how risky hostage situations are.

Hansuke was also frozen in fear. But at that moment he paused, he felt a knife press against his throat. His eyes looked to the side at a young woman no older than Deku-sensei with piercing yellow eyes and messy blonde hair. She giggled and licked her lips with her mouth open wide enough to show off some very impressive canine teeth.

He raised his hands slowly in surrender.

"Dammit, you three!" Crow-Man snapped unappreciative of being rescued, but rather focused on the predicament the young would-be heroes got themselves in to perform said rescue.

Nucleon chuckled. His army of villains rising and recovering from Katsuki's attacks. "It doesn't need to be like this, you know. If you just give me one night to get this over with, the fighting can stop. The murder and bloodshed and kidnapping and hurting. If you let us go, the never-ending war between heroes and villains can finally come to an end! We'll all just be unified under one great master."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Crow-Man shouted. "Don't tell me it's that fairy tale theory you've been chasing again! I've hunted you for many years and honestly, I prefer villains that want revenge, that want money, that want something realistic. But I've been stuck with you for years and all I ever hear is 'great master this' or 'my master that'."

"Now is not the time for this..." Gang Orca held the vision hero back.

"There's not much time for anything. This room won't last much longer." Nucleon mentioned as his eyes darted to all the noticeably large cracks in the walls, the ground, and the ceiling.

"Leave us." Aizawa commanded. "We can free ourselves. Go!"

"Shouta!" Ms. Joke called and reached out to him.

Loud cracks were heard.

The entire room suddenly turned into the inside of an empty soda can. Hansuke snapped his fingers.


	10. Chapter 10: The Quirk Dream

Hansuke dashed around, throwing everyone he could grab off toward the open exit.

He looked around frantically for Deku. Parts of the ceiling were already halfway down. The floor was cracked up and some parts were reaching up toward the ceiling, meeting halfway.

Nucleon and the villains were also missing. How and where, he was running out of time before he could find out.

As soon as he made sure all the heroes were in the tunnel, he looked back. Through a very narrow opening, he saw Deku.

Most of the villains were gathered. Arach-Niq carried him over his shoulder. He looked unconscious.

The boy ran toward the crevice and tried to squeeze himself through. It surely was going to come down as soon as he resumed time. And he was already too late. The hole was too small for even he to fit in, let alone someone bigger like Midoriya.

All he could do was reach out to his young sensei. "Don't worry, Deku-sensei! I will make sure we rescue you! I'm sorry!"

He backed away and stumbled back to the tunnel. As he felt himself start to grow lightheaded, he snapped his fingers.

"AH!" Crow-Man reacted fast, grabbing Hansuke and pulling him further from the collapsing space into the tunnel.

"Th-Thanks..." The boy said tiredly.

"Don't mention it."

Bakugou stood up. "Where the hell is Deku?!"

Aizawa stood up beside him. "I don't know. You two tell me. What on Earth were you thinking?"

"Hey! It's because of Deku-sensei's sacrifice that you're all free again!" Hansuke defensively raised his voice.

"At the expense of Deku." Aizawa frowned. "Nucleon wants power. With Quirks like Midoriya's, he'll have it much easier now."

"While you were playing damsels in distress, did you happen to learn anything?" Bakugou asked.

"You two seem to be taking it well that one of the most powerful next generation heroes is a prisoner to a madman who steals energy." Crow-Man sighed. "I already know his plans. He's waited for a day like this for many years."

"What we all know is that he can suck out energy sources. He can't take Midoriya's Quirk but he can suck out power that's practically as strong as All Might. There's no telling what his limit can take but it's a lot. He's prepared for this." Gang Orca added.

"So what now?" Hansuke asked Aizawa.

~~~~~~~

Izuku jumped back to consciousness.

"The fabled prince awakens!"

"Nucleon." Izuku glared ahead.

The room was dark except for dim green light emitting from the smug villain, who was busy circling the hero.

Izuku couldn't move his limbs. He looked around and saw the dim glow of the orange energy webs holding up his arms and pinning his legs in place, down on his knees.

"I won't lie to you, Deku. I'm impressed. The power that eminates from you is...incredible. So I want to give you an opportunity here. It's what my master would want. We don't force, until we've first given the chance of choice." Izuku could make out in the soft lighting his sinister large smile.

"You're just crazy." Izuku sighed.

"Oh yeah? Wanna know why everyone says that?" Nucleon asked.

"It gets more and more obvious why, the more I watch you." Izuku frowned.

Nucleon grabbed him by the neck. "Would you just listen?! Okay! I'm trying to tell you the most important information you'll ever hear so show a little respect and shut up!"

As he spoke, as he grew more angry, the glow in his body grew. His eyes grew brighter. And so did the energy surrounding his very aura. Izuku could feel the power radiating from his body.

"Did you ever look into that Quirk story dating back over twenty years ago? The one about the dream Quirk passing the same dream off to everyone on the planet?" Nucleon asked. He let go of Izuku's neck and waited for him to nod.

"They passed it off as some powerful new Quirk from somebody. Some said a prank, others said, an advanced Quirk that went haywire." He explained. "But it wasn't a prank."

He lifted his arms up, exaggerating everything he told with movements from his arms and hands.

Izuku did look into it. It was before his time but one night, no matter where it was on Earth, everyone as they slept, received the same exact cryptic dream.

The viewer stood on a hill overlooking a vast space of green grass. And on the same hill was a dying tree, losing its leaves. Suddenly, a voice is heard speaking a language no one knew. Not a language or dialect from any culture on Earth. And as it speaks, the hill begins to sink into the ground, taking you and the tree with it.

The voice is heard again and suddenly you are lifted up by the tree of out of the crater in the ground and everything faded to white.

That was the most common interpretation recorded. Izuku remembered asking his mother if she remembers it. She remembered it happened, but nothing else. The dream that all their neighbors shared.

"Two weeks passed, I had the same dream again." Nucleon said. "Only this time, I could understand the voice."

Izuku turned his attention back up to the villain. He appeared excited to tell his story. Like a missionary for his church of insanity.

"It said to me... 'Your worlds always fall at your hands... But let me in, and I shall lift you up. Your world will prosper. And so shall you.'" Nucleon laughed. "The dream came from a being, not of our world. But he's been here before! Oh the wonderful things he did then and the wonderful things he could change now!"

Nucleon then put his hands on Izuku's shoulders. His left hand moved up to his cheek. "We just have to open the door for him."

"This is nuts!" Izuku yelled.

"We're gonna open a portal to outer space in the city."

"You're crazy! I'll never be a part of this!" He thrashed around in the webs.

Just as he felt a spark of One For All grow within him again, Nucleon's eyes widened.

"I've tasted power like that before..."

His grip on the young hero tightened.

Izuku could feel something passing through him. As if he's trying to activate Full Cowling, but it's missing him and going right to Nucleon's syphoning hands.

"Holy...Holy shit... HOLY SHIT THIS IS GREAT!" Nucleon cackled. His body grew brighter and brighter green.

Then he let go and ran out of the ruins. Izuku lost all his energy and felt himself slipping back asleep.


	11. Chapter 11: Cleaning Up the Mess

Shouta Aizawa led the group of heroes out of the tunnels as dust trailed after them from the collapsing chambers.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" He cursed over and over.

"Shouta." Ms. Joke tried to sooth him.

"No! I just lost the heir to One For All in there along with a young boy! They're either dead or in the hands of those villains or both!" He glared.

He rarely showed his anger like this. It truly frightened her and everyone else around them. Even Katsuki Bakugou was a bit intimidated. But a good thing it was at the point he didn't care about the One For All situation. That was over two years ago.

"Nucleon has access to all the power he needs and more now." Shouta said, just as angry, but in a more calm demeanor. Normal for him. He turned and scolded Katsuki. "Why did you idiots decide to come here?! Nucleon needed power-based Quirks and yet here you came!"

"Hey back off! We did it because it's the right thing to do and screw those laws that say we can't! I don't care that I'm not a pro-hero yet. I came to keep Deku out of trouble! I'm not happy about my failure either!" Katsuki barked.

"Guys! This isn't over. I can see the villains." Crow-Man called. He stood at the top of a hill just ahead, watching from the distance away said group of villains together piling into three large vans. He announced everything he saw as he saw it.

"They're headed for the city!" Aizawa called. "Bakugou, I need you to get the class. We need everyone."

"Everyone?!" He repeated.

"Yes! This is not a drill! Not an exercise! This is life and death! If Nucleon gets into the city, they could virtually create a black hole!" He said. "Now go! Meet me there at Toranomon Hills. The very top."

"Did Nucleon really tell you his exact plan?" Bakugou asked.

"He's not hiding anything. He thinks he can take all of us. It'll be on hell of a fight but we need everyone. So go!" Aizawa said.

"I got us a ride." Crow-Man said. "My truck is parked not far from here. Let's go!"

As they ran, Ms. Joke ran beside Shouta Aizawa.

"Hey. Izuku's in the Big Three at UA, right? He'll be fine. And Hansuke seems like a tough kid too, from what you've told." She said.

"Even if they're fine by the end of this, I've failed my part in protecting them."

"You failed when you got us captured, silly." She snickered.

"Deku can handle himself!" Katsuki added, running behind them and eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Just keep up, Bakugou." Aizawa ordered.

"Now there's the Shouta I know-a." Ms. Joke giggled and nudged his side with her elbow.

Crow-Man, being the leader of an elite Quirk-Strike team, was granted a large armored truck to carry him, his team, and whatever supplies they needed. He had it parked hidden in a closed train tunnel just barely out of the light of the sunrise.

"Crow, you drive!" Gang Orca ordered.

"I'm the only one with access to! You all just pile in the back!" He shouted.

But before he reached the truck, he stopped. "Wait a minute." He looked out in the distant city standing before them all.

His eyes locked on to a few vans moving swiftly together through traffic. A moment later after observing the vans, he clicked his tongue. "Got em. Let's go!"

~~~~~~~

It didn't take them long to reach the city. Tokyo usually had so much traffic, it barely moved a few centimeters every ten minutes. However today wasn't so lucky, at least for the heroes.

But just lucky enough to indeed catch up before the vans made it into deeper city, towards three of the tallest towers.

Crow-Man had locked on to the van driven by Nucleon. He figured Arach-Niq would be inside as well while the others were meant for diversion. Or possibly for other towers.

Nucleon watched them closely in his rear-view mirrors. "Arach-Niq. Give them a few distractions. Tangle their tracks."

The large spider-villain took up the entire back end of the van behind the driver's seat. With ease, he ripped through the roof of the vehicle and stared down the approaching truck.

"There's Arach-Niq! What's the plan?" Ms. Joke announced.

"Stay here for now. I don't like whatever he's thinking exposing himself to us." Crow-Man said.

"I could cancel his Quirk." Aizawa suggested.

"Yes, do that. Quickly!"

Before Aizawa could jump out of his buckled in seat and rush to the front, Arach-Niq began to pull strands of glowing energy-conducting webs from his hump and tossing them across the highways to several cars left and right.

"Oh SHIT!" Crow-Man yelled.

The other two vans slowed down, closer to the back of the truck as dozens of cars and trucks began tipping, turning, and flipping across the road directly in front of the heroes.

The two vans, which were locking the truck in a straight line, suddenly were knocked out of place.

The heroes all watched from the windows as the cars and trucks were now being pushed back.

"Hey! Baku-Bro! I think it's obvious now. But we totally got your message, man." Eijiro Kirishima's voice rang from his phone, which was in his hand.

"You had your phone with you?!" Aizawa asked.

"Hey! If I'm gonna be stupid, I might as well take it a step further and prepare for backup." Katsuki defended. "Besides you wanted me to get everyone."

Among the removed cars, Hanta Sero in his tape-themed hero costume, was wrapping up the discarded webs with his own tape while various students from Class 1-A pulled citizens from the same cars. Sero gave a salute to the truck as it passed by.

"You professionals keep chasing those villains. We'll handle the mess they leave behind." Tenya Iida's voice rang through.

"How are these kids contacting us so easily?" Crow-Man asked.

"You'd be surprised the things Class 1-A of UA can do." Ms. Joke said, leaving Aizawa a flirtatious wink, which in turn resulted in a groan from him.

Still, he was proud of them.


	12. Chapter 12: I’m Here Now

"Deku-senpai!" Hansuke scrambled through the rocks and rubble to get to Izuku who was still chained up and unconscious. "Wake up!" He shouted as he grabbed the hero's shoulders and shook them.

"They're getting away! We need to go!"

Izuku's eyes slowly crept open. "H-Hansuke?... Hansuke, it's you!"

"I chased after you and the villains when the whole place collapsed but I wasn't fast enough to save you... I'm sorry." He sighed.

"Hey. It's okay. Even heroes make mistakes." Izuku tilted his head in empathy for the preteen boy and gave him a small smile.

"I'm just so tired of making mistake after mistake." Hansuke groaned.

Izuku felt the power of One For All returning inside of him as his strength and energy refueled. With a quick jerk of his wrists, the chains were ripped off.

"Do you remember when me and my class were first-years at UA?" He asked, putting a hand on Hansuke's shoulder.

They needed to go, he knew that, but what makes a true hero is what Izuku decided to do here instead.

"Yeah, you guys were attacked on numerous occasions by the League of Villains and with each attack, sent more and more to jail for good. Even in your first year you guys were like, untouchable." Hansuke grumbled.

"Yes, and no. With each attack we made a lot of mistakes. I made lots of mistakes. I watched my hero lose his power twice while I stood by helpless. I wasn't fast enough to save everyone at times... I've even witnessed people die where I wish I could have helped." Izuku shared.

"On a less depressing note, I watched as each of us got the lunch beaten out of our stomachs, if not by villains, by our own training." He emphasized with exaggerated facial expressions, making Hansuke laugh a little.

"I broke my bones the first few times I carelessly used my power in high school!"

Hansuke laughed a little harder.

"But here's the thing. You're no different from where we were at your age. No matter what you choose to be in your life, you'll have to work for it, and in working for it, you're going to do things you've never done before...and it may hurt you at first. But if it is what you want to become, you've got to want it more than you fear pain!" Izuku looked deep into Hansuke's brown eyes.

"What do you want to become, Hansuke?"

Hansuke lifted his head proudly and with a large smile. "I want to be a hero just like you!"

Suddenly Izuku started crying. Large amounts of tears spilled from his eyes in such a short amount of time.

"...Uh. Was it something I said?" He asked.

"No no! I'm just... I'm fine!" Izuku sobbed. After a moment, he covered his eyes with his costume sleeve and wiped as much as he could quickly. "We should get going now."

"Right!" Hansuke smiled again.

"Do you know a way out of this mess?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah, the villains kept their escape route free of debris when they got away." The interracial preteen said directing Izuku past a few winding piles of wall and ceiling and pipe.

The bright light of the sunrise hit their eyes as they ran out where the maintenance door used to sit. "From what I've gathered while I as looking for you, the villains are in three white vans heading downtown." Hansuke said.

"Nucleon wants to open a big portal on one of the towers... Whether he's right or not, opening a portal into space could create a black hole for the entire city."

"Hey. Has anyone ever tried to use Quirks to do something like this?" Hansuke butted in to his thinking-out-loud.

"Not that I'm aware of. But it's not worth finding out when it's right above Tokyo, Japan!" He said.

"I can use my Quirk to get us there in time!" Hansuke volunteered.

"Can you carry me that far for that long in your plane?" Izuku turned to him.

"...It's the first thing I thought of. I can try." He sighed.

Before they could think of any other option, Izuku stopped to hear screaming in the distance.

"People are in danger." He said. "...A lot of people."

"W-... But the villains!" Hansuke pointed. "I'm sure there are heroes taking care of it. But we need to go!"

"Come on. We need to make sure people are okay." Izuku said. The years of his training were kicking in. Save who is in danger first before you stop the potential threat.

The two ran a short dirance until they came upon the highway. There stood a large pile-up of cars. Farther away, they could faintly make out heroes in colorful suits rescusing and cleaning up.

But Izuku turned his attention back to the screams nearby. A family was trapped in their car underneath two large trucks and one of them was leaking fluid.

His heart sank when the fluid caught fire. The father in the car reached back for his two children.

As Hansuke turned to see it himself, he saw Izuku zoom down the hill toward the cars.

People shouted and pointed as he arrived on the scene. With a flash of green lighting across his body, he picked up one truck on one side and dragged it away. But the truck on fire was still on top of the family car.

He quickly lunged, knowing it was going to blow any minute. He hurled his body straight toward the truck in a desperate last minute attempt to spare the family from an explosive fate.

His body collided in the side of the truck, its entire weight shifted and knocked it on its side. The family screamed knowing it was still too close to survive.

The explosion went off. Hansuke covered his face.

Then suddenly, he heard Izuku stomping away from the explosion. On his shoulders were the two kids and the dad with his arm around the hero's shoulders. His mask was off, showing a confident smile of comfort to all who witnessed this.

"Who is that?!"

"That's the hero Deku from UA! He's in the Big Three!"

"The winner at this year's sports festival!"

"He's smiling!"

Izuku carried the family to the edge of the highway and let them down gently. "You guys are going to be okay! I'm here now."

Hansuke couldn't help but smile wide. Even a small tear escaped down his cheek.

"Let's go, Deku! We have more people to save!" He shouted.


	13. Chapter 13: No Time to Lose

Izuku and Hansuke used their Quirks together to travel the remaining distance much faster. While Izuku carried Hansuke on his back with the boy's arms wrapped under his neck, Hansuke would snap his fingers while Izuku jumps forward in Full Cowling.

They could only do the single burst before Hansuke needed to snap his fingers again and conserve their energy but they managed to cross the highway kilometers ahead and now stood at the base of the tallest tower.

Something drew clouds into the area and what was an hour ago a nice sunrise, was now an overcast day with dark clouds.

Hansuke sat nearly out of breath, resting his hands on his knees.

Izuku sighed and put his gloved hand on the boy's back in support. "You got this, Hansuke-kun."

He smiled and nodded.

As they took their moment to rest, lightning flashed across the sky and hit the top of the building.

"That doesn't look good..." Izuku said.

"Go up there and take 'em out." Hansuke breathed.

"I need backup."

"They'll come." Hansuke said. "Even if I have to flag them all down."

"No no. No more using your Quirk, young man." Izuku ordered.

"'Young man'?" He repeated. "Senpai. I got this. I'll conserve my energy, I promise."

Izuku frowned and wanted to say more but another flash of lightning and crack of thunder regained his attention. "Just don't go beyond your limit. Imagine... an egg in a microwave... or something."

Without further explaining himself, the green-haired hero used Full Cowling to jump from where he stood straight up the side of the tower.

Despite the strength in his jump, it still was one of the world's tallest buildings, forcing him to land on a balcony that was just over halfway up.

Meanwhile, Hansuke watched him land and continue his ascension up the building, then turned his attention to the heroes in the distance.

"Those villains all made it to the three towers... I have to warn the rest of 1-A. Deku-senpai can't take them all, especially before that portal is opened..." He thought out loud.

He stood up straight and flexed his fingers. His breath held for a moment then let go. His hands now simultaneously raised up to his ears and snapped.

Time rotated slowly and stopped. The lightning in the sky remained in place. The papers and screams in the air ceased to float away.

Citizens in the streets stood with varying looks of terror in their faces. Some preparing to grab their children and run, some making phone calls, some already running, and some were already frozen with shock before Hansuke's time-stop.

To him, there was no time at all to lose, even with everyone else's time stopped.

He quickly ran down the highway toward Crow-Man's truck.

Upon reaching it, he quickly opened the side door and shut it behind then appeared right in the center of the gathered heroes including Katsuki.

Time was up. He snapped his fingers again and every hero around him leapt or flinched back in complete surprise by his sudden appearance.

With a Quirk that had so many unpredictable outcomes, it was hard for even the professionals to be used to that.

"Midorya-senpai is at the Toranomon Hills skyscraper and he needs backup! There are two more towers the villains are high-jacking!" He reported all within one breath.

Aizawa sighed. "I'll go to Toranomon Hills to assist Midoriya-san."

"I'll lead some of your students to one of the other towers." Gang Orca volunteered.

"I'll assist Midoriya." Crow-Man spoke as he drove. "You go with Ms. Joke and lead your students to the third building. If Toranomon Hills is the epicenter of this chaos, I have a hunch Nucleon will be there in person, along with Arach-Niq. They're both villains of my specialty."

"Sounds good to me!" Ms. Joke cheered. She quickly glanced at Aizawa and gave him a smirk.

"Fine." Aizawa frowned.

"What are the two other buildings and do you happen to know which villains are where?" Gang Orca asked Hansuke.

"Roppongi Hills Mori Tower and I think Midtown Tower. I never saw the villains in the other vans but I assume the same ones from the sewers." He explained, feeling intimidated by the massive orca-themed hero yet honored that he needed answers from him.

"Very good. I will take six of your students to Midtown." Gang said.

"We'll take six more." Ms. Joke said.

"You take the other seven, including Bakugou here." Aizawa said.

"As long as my tower is the one that spider freak and the energy guy are on, I'm good." Katsuki smirked.

"Hansuke. You're with me." Aizawa requested.

"I... I need to be where Deku-senpai is." He said.

"Deku can handle himself. He's practically a professional now. I need you with me. I'm your teacher." He said sternly, planting his hands on Hansuke's shoulders.

He lowered his head.

"Do I make myself clear, Hansuke-san?"

"Yes, sensei." He nodded.

"Gather the students. There's no time to lose!" Ms. Joke reminded them.

Crow-Man stopped the truck and stood up. "I'll meet my seven students there. The One-For-All user needs help now."

Hansuke gulped as the task-force hero rushed out the door ahead of them.

"They'll take care of it. Your job is to stay by me." Aizawa instructed.

"Y-Yes, sensei." Hansuke said.

~~~~~~~

Izuku made one final jump up, landing only a few levels below the roof.

"If villains like Nucleon and Arach-Niq are up there, I should make my entrance a bit more stealthy for now." He thought to himself as he began to sneak to the staircase.

Unfortunately the top level had a big heavy door that lead to the outside roof.

"Dammit. This is no doubt a trap. Impossible for me to take this entrance without being caught. They probably have someone guarding the other end of this door."

He decided to go all out. Full Cowling. Hold nothing back. "One For All, 80%!"

His leg raised and kicked the door in straight-on. It folded almost in half as it launched off the hinges and flew out on to the roof.

With a confident yell he quickly followed the door, rushing out and scrambling around for villains to fight.

That's when he heard a grunt and evaded an incoming laser that melted the ground he was just standing on.

"I was impressed seeing you catch up to us!" Nucleon's voice shouted from above.

Clouds covered the cell tower that stood higher than the roof level itself. Unmistakeably, Nucleon was up there somewhere most likely with Arach-Niq.

"Just give us a few more minutes, Deku! We're almost done!" Nucleon shouted.

"Get down here and face me!" Izuku shouted back.

"No can do. I'm busy!"

Izuku groaned loudly and held his arm up. Lights flashed in his eyes as a black energy grew from his shoulder in the form of dozens of thins black tentacles that wrapped up his arm and launched up into the clouds.

As soon as he felt them tighten their grip on something, he pulled with all his might.

His force was strong enough to blast the clouds away from the cell tower and throw Nucleon to his ground.

Arach-Niq looked down from his perch on the tower in disgust. He continued to fashion his webs around it while energy seemed to flow between him and Nucleon's bodies through his web strands.

"Very... well." Nucleon moaned and got to his feet. "If you still want to fight this out, I'd be happy to."


	14. Chapter 14: Stopping a Black Hole

As Izuku was about to swing his leg forward, he felt something long and prehensile wrap around his stationary leg and pull hard.

He was thrown off balance and landed on his side as Devitoko pinned him down by his hands and knees.

"Let's make this quick. I have some catching up to do with an old friend." He hissed in Izuku's ear.

Nucleon pushed the lizard-villain aside enough to plant his palms on Izuku's body. His fingers dug anxiously into his costume.

Soon, he could feel the energy leaving his body, siphoning through Nucleon's ten fingers.

"N-No..." He gasped. The weight and pressure on top of him began to increase. "A-All Might... One For All... please..."

Nucleon laughed. Any attempt to call on the full power of One For All was exactly what he needed and it would go directly to him, if but just a few minutes.

Izuku's eyes began to close again.

"Just...one...more..." Nucleon said.

Suddenly, Devitoko disappeared off of the young hero and reappeared falling from the cell tower on to the roof with a loud thud.

As Nucleon looked up, he felt himself get thrown off Izuku's body as well and almost falling off the edge. With fast reflexes, he gripped the roof and held on tightly as he watched Hansuke appear, short on breath, pulling Izuku to his feet.

"Hansuke?! I told you to get-"

"Backup?" Ochako butted in, standing at the roof access door with Tenya Iida, Tsuyu Asui, Mezou Shoji, and Tokoyami Fumikage.

Izuku felt tears in his eyes seeing some of his friends and fellow classmates there to assist.

Hansuke smiled and patted Izuku on the back. "C'mon, Deku-senpai. Let's finish this."

Nucleon growled in rage then remembered the web still attached to his back. "Arach-Niq! I'm giving you all I got now! Time's up!"

"NO! That much power all at once by myself, I'll explode! We need the other towers up!" Arach-Niq thundered.

"DAMMIT!" Nucleon shouted. "Followers! These heroes think they can stop us! KILL THEM ALL!"

From the cell tower, recovered in clouds, various villains of every shape and size jumped down and stood between the heroes and the very tower.

Mostly villains with nothing to lose, willing to work for the highest promiser for a better life. Some because they were just absolutely psychotic like Himiko Toga, who was helping to guard one of the other two skyscrapers along with Dartsen Carge and Twice.

Thankfully, Eijiro Kirishima's hardening Quirk acted as the perfect defense against the knives while Kyoka Jirou and Denki Kaminari blasted Twice and his clones. While Mina and Katsuki went to work on melting and blasting the tower. Tooru Hagakure and Mashirao Ojiro used their closer combat skills to take out the smaller villains. Rikidou Sato, after chugging down a bag of sugar, began to tear the cell tower from the base out, throwing it off.

Gang Orca and Crow-Man led their assault.

Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Joke led the remainder against a barrage of laser-Quirk villains.

Aizawa was fast enough to dodge the incoming lasers and take out several at a time while heroes like Yuuga Aoyama blasted back. Kouji Koda called on many flocks of birds to throw off the villains' aims while Shouto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozou froze and tied up the stronger ones.

Hanta Sero and Minoru Mineta worked on bringing down the tower by force, using the stickiness of their Quirks.

And Izuku's crew charged their villains. Ochako made herself float while Tsuyu followed after, using her tongue to help climb toward Arach-Niq while Tokoyami, Tenya, Mezou, Hansuke, and, of course, Izuku began to fight close quarters.

Dark Shadow ripped the villains away from each other as Tenya and Izuku picked them apart one by one with their leg-based hits.

Nucleon ignored the fight and instead climbed up after the girls in pursuit of the spider-villain.

Izuku noticed him and abandoned the fight to stop him.

"Midoriya, keep away from him! He can absorb your power!" Tenya warned, swinging his leg into the ribs of a villain covered in stitches that opened into mouths.

Izuku didn't listen. He activated Full Cowling and leapt up impressively high toward the hysterical villain.

Nucleon heard him coming and grabbed him by the neck.

"It must be so hard... Having so much power to yourself that the moment you lose it...you feel so useless..." He snickered.

Izuku gasped. "W-Well... I know a thing or two what that's like anyway..."

"Ah. Then you'll be fine." Nucleon shrugged.

Once again, Izuku felt his power being sucked through Nucleon's hand on his throat.

Ochako took a moment to look down in horror, witnessing Nucleon drain her boyfriend of his strength.

"STOP IT!" She screamed.

"Ocha-san, keep climbing!" Tsuyu advised her.

Arach-Niq stared at the two girls just below him. He roared and fired a web in their direction.

With the experiences each of them had, they were both fast enough to dodge the web and watch it travel down and attach to Izuku's back.

Nucleon laughed loudly. "NOW!"

He channeled all the power within himself and Izuku through the webs. Izuku screaned out loud, feeling energy surge in one end of him and out the other like a living battery. Nucleon just laughed.

Meanwhile, Arach-Niq's roars in pain grew louder and louder as he held the webs in his hump.

Nucleon raised his free arm and blasted a laser with all his might towards the sky straight above.

Every hero and villain took a moment to turn and watch the light show that resulted.

Crow-Man stared in shock. "There's no way that's right! Just firing laser power into the sky... That shouldn't be anything more than a glorified pyrotechnics show."

The laser seemed to bend the clouds, the light, the sky itself. And the whole mess of bent-reality above everyone's heads began to circle itself in the shape of a doughnut.

"A black hole..." Aizawa gasped. "We need to get everyone evacuated now!"

Izuku looked up in shame at what his power was being used for.

Everything fell silent for a moment. Then the same portal opened up showing the other side of deep dark space speckled in dim stars.

Then the portal collapsed and shrank down until it was nothing. The wind stopped. Even the clouds stopped swirling.

Before Nucleon could say anything, Arach-Niq's hump exploded on his back, presumably killing him instantly and knocking Tsuyu, Ochako, Izuku, and Nucleon off.


	15. Chapter 15: All True Heroes

Izuku reacted quick as he began to free fall. He used his Black-Whip again, pulling both Tsuyu and Ochako towards himself to catch them.

As the shadowy tendrils grabbed both girls by their waists and pulled, Izuku flipped himself forward and landed on his feet perfectly, catching Ocaho bridal-style while Tsuyu landed safely on her own beside them.

Ochako took a moment to stare up at Izuku. Her familiar blush filled her cheeks all the way connecting at her nose.

Izuku met her eyes with a smile, then the same blush appeared on his face.

"Kiss me, then go knock that villain out." She requested.

"O-Okay." He leaned down and connected his lips to hers.

She held their kiss for a moment before being let down on to her own feet.

Izuku marched straight toward Nucleon, who didn't manage to stick any clean landing from the cell tower, landing on the roof hard enough to indent it.

The power that flowed through his body, enough to warp reality itself, had now fleeted away, used up in that explosive instant that literally blew up in his face but cushioned his fall to some degree.

"I-It... It didn't work..." He mumbled to himself repeatedly. "It didn't work. It didn't work!"

"Shut up." Izuku walked up and slammed his fist across Nucleon's cheek, knocking him on his back, out cold.

The hero lowered his head and sighed in relief.

Tsuyu smiled. But just then, it dropped. She sensed someone behind her in the shadow of the cell tower and twisted around, flipping her long tongue out in defense.

However, Dark Shadow was faster than her and wrapped his gigantic hands around none other than Devitoko himself.

"Errgh. Long time, no see. Am I right?" The lizard-villain sighed.

Tsuyu nodded a thank you to Tokoyami then walked up to her childhood classmate. "If you play stupid games, you'll win stupid prizes, Devi-chan. Now you're going to have to be put in jail, ribbit ribbit." She croaked.

"It wasn't like that... I didn't want to be a criminal." He said.

"That's enough. I'd advice you to refrain from saying much because as the cops will tell you, anything you say can and will be used against you." Fumikage glared.

"What about the spider guy?" Hansuke asked.

Izuku looked up. The entire top half of the cell tower had melted and disintegrated into nothingness. Nothing but a burnt putrid smell remained.

And strangely, the smell of lavender. Although that could have been Ochako's hair.

"I think he got...squished." He frowned.

Ochako rolled her eyes. "C'mon, everyone. Let's round up the villains we got and bring them down. Hopefully the others got theirs as well."

Tenya took a moment with Izuku, watching everyone around them gather the villains into a pile for Dark Shadow to restrain and carry down.

"Just think, by this time in two days, we'll be doing this full-time, licensed." Tenya said proudly.

"Three years of doing this stuff with you guys. I'm sad to see it end." Izuku exhaled.

"I suppose that part is true..." Tenya added. "But I'm also grateful for it all and will use my experiences to fulfill my true calling to be a hero. And... I'm grateful I found some friends along the way."

Izuku smiled and patted his upper back, which was a little hard to reach due to their height differences.

"I also expect big things from that young lad there." He gestured to Hansuke, who was busy telling his side of the story to Ochako, and his times with Izuku.

"I do too." Izuku nodded. "He's a good kid, he just needs a push in the right direction."

"Nobody does that better than you do." Tenya smiled.

Once down to the ground level, the group walked outside to find an entire crowd surrounding the far sides of the building lot, stopped by police blockades and tape. They cheered in gratitude seeing the heroes all together turning in the group of defeated villains.

Ochako felt tears fill her eyes. She gripped Izuku's hand tightly and noticed he too had tears staining his cheeks.

"They see us as heroes." Tsuyu smiled.

"I didn't expect so many people would come here." Fumikage said, slightly concerned for his own social anxiety.

Tsuyu reached for his hand underneath his cloak and held it in support, giving him an equally supportive smile.

"Guys!" Enjiro cheered from their right.

Everyone else before them had already vanquished their own sets of villains and were signing autographs, giving police reports, and receiving all kinds of reprimands from Aizawa.

Ochako rested her head on Izuku's shoulder. "I'm sure going to miss these days."

Izuku agreed, resting his head against hers. "They don't have to be over just yet..."

"Hm?" She looked up at him.

"I-I'll explain later. We still have graduation tomorrow."

She hummed and nuzzled close to him.

"That's him! That's the guy who saved that family!" Someone shouted out from the crowd.

"Yeah! The green guy!" A woman yelled and pointed to Izuku.

The couple broke apart quickly with guilty blushes in their cheeks.

"Deku! Go give yourself some positive public points." Mr. Aizawa ordered, almost like he was giving Izuku this treat.

Regardless of why, Ochako pushed him forward. His face grew red and sweaty.

"C'mon, hero! Give us some poses!" A photographer standing in the front of the crowd shouted.

Izuku looked back nervously at his girlfriend, like a little boy looks at his mother at the dentist's.

She waved her hand in support for him to go on.

He gulped and forced a big smile on his face. At first, it was obviously forced and awkward, but he remembered who he was, why he was there, and who he, and his mentor wanted him to be to these people.

Activating One For All, he leapt into the air and performed several back-flips before landing. Then he spun around and performed all kinds of kick-flips and punches like a street performer.

Photographers left and right captured some amazing poses from him as well as the scene itself and the other many heroes this crisis called up. Some were great pictures, some were the students arguing with Aizawa. Some were awkward with Fumikage and Crow-Man. Some were good publicity, some weren't, many involving Katsuki shouting.

"You got a hell of a class here. Did they all pass?" Ms. Joke asked Aizawa on the side.

He lowered his head. His usual look of dissatisfaction still present. Then a natural small smile formed. "That's right. Every one of them."

She smiled with him. "Congratulations. The world truly needs all of them."


	16. Chapter 16: Professional Heroes at Last

"Good afternoon, my fellow graduates." Momo Yaoyarozou began, standing at a podium before the entire graduating classes of UA, on a warm sunny day on the school grounds.

In the seats were each of the students in their traditional Japanese graduation robes and attire. In the back sat their families, friends, and professional heroes watching and listening happily.

Izuku sat nervously beside his best friend Tenya Iida, and his girlfriend Ochako Uraraka.

He had her hand clasped tight with anticipation and anxiety.

As Momo gave her speech, it made him reflect on the past few years and on the past few days as well.

"...As it goes with the life cycle of the butterfly, so too must we emerge from our chrysalises. Each of us have gained something from UA. Friends, family, contentment, maybe peace...maybe trouble, maybe hope, maybe stress. Or maybe all of it together..."

Izuku closed his eyes and remembered his first day and even the events that led to it. Meeting All Might, demonstrating his selfless determination, gaining One For All, meeting Ochako, saving her in the entrance exam, meeting Tenya Iida.

His interactions with every classmate that he grew to cherish. How he adored each of their personalities and hoped for the best.

Despite their flaws, weaknesses, and mistakes, he still sees them for what they have become today.

"...There will always be times when we wish we were just a caterpillar again. Our lives won't get any easier. It's funny how we come to miss the days we hated the most in our pasts. But now, although we're graduating, maturing, spreading out into the world, we're never apart. We'll always be held together by our core beliefs..."

Izuku thought of his experiences watching All Might defeat All For One, when he rescued Kota, and when he rescued Eri from Chisaki. When he put a stop to Shigaraki.

When he won the Sports festival. When he finally admitted his feelings for Ochako...after she admitted her own weeks prior. Their first date. Their first kiss.

The day he met Hansuke and took him in to UA. Izuku looked back to see him sitting in the crowd next to his mother Inko Midoriya and young Eri who gave him a friendly wave. Hansuke was already wearing a UA jacket that Aizawa insisted that he have on for the ceremony.

Toshinori sat with the teachers, facing the students proudly. He gave Izuku a wink.

"...Dark times are ahead, but we must always be strong. Maintain the image that UA holds, on behalf of all heroes. Show the world what it truly means..."

Izuku thought of Nucleon, and all the villains who stood a chance with him. How their words tore him down yet he never truly let go and never gave up. It was here that he vowed he never would.

"Stand with me, fellow graduates. Become true heroes!"

Everyone rose to their feet. Every member of Class 1-A, and several from Class 1-B, and so on.

Toshinori and the teachers rose to their feet as well. For the seconds he could hold it, he popped into his muscular hero form raising his fist high.

"GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!"

Everyone cheered it all at once.

Principal Nezou handed out the official licenses, calling everyone by name.

Izuku looked down at the official, small piece of paper in his hands. A tear landed on the side of it.

"I finally made it..." He whispered.

Ochako kissed his cheek while his mother quickly grabbed him in a big hug.

Toshinori appeared at his side and excitedly ruffled his green curls. "I knew you could do it, future number one hero! I'm proud of you, son. Truly, I am."

Eri jumped up and gave him a big hug of her own and a kiss on the cheek.

~~~~~~~

"We really did it, huh?" Ochako asked.

"Y-Yeah... We did." Izuku smiled.

The couple stood on a hill overlooking the city hours after saying goodbye, exchanging numbers, and congratulating everyone.

As they watched the city commotion from the distance, Hansuke appeared from behind one of the trees. He was about to say something but felt it wasn't right to disturb them now.

He only watched in silent shock as Izuku, visibly shaking and sweating, gets down on one knee and opens a small box in front of Ochako.

Hansuke smiled wide, watching his hero ask the girl of his dreams to marry him. And watched as she cried loudly, shaking her head up and down violently, repeating "yes" at least a hundred times.

They shared a tender, tight hug and a couple kisses before either of them noticed they were being watched.

"HANSUKE?!" They called.

"Sorry! Sorry! I won't tell anyone I swear!" He yelled.

They sighed and looked at each other. "Well, it's not worth it to try and make this a secret." Ochako shrugged.

"I'm happy for you guys! I didn't get the chance to say congratulations at the ceremony because Aizawa-sensei pulled me aside and well... big reveal! I'm going to UA next semester!" Hansuke cheered.

"And you sure you feel ready to go back?" Izuku asked.

"I do, I... I do." He smiled. "Did you-"

"Make you a recommendation? Only the first thing I did as an official pro-hero!" Izuku smirked.

Hansuke laughed and ran to them, giving them both a big hug.

"I think everything is going to be just fine now." Ochako smiled, giving Izuku one more kiss on the cheek.

END OF BOOK ONE

~But not just yet~

Nucleon was thrown into a jail cell in a straight-jacket. "Meal time in 8 hours. Sleep up while you can." The guard said through the cell door.

He groaned and sat up. His cell was very empty, the floor had a sleeping mat and a metal chair.

"I failed. I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe... Maybe all of it... Years of my life wasted to some... some fantasy..." He sighed, truly feeling defeat's bitter breath down his neck.

He sat in the cool dark cell for a moment. "Was it really all for nothing...?"

That's when the guard turned towards the cell door, his whole body visible behind the bars.

"No. My disciple. You did it."

Nucleon sat up and watched as the guard's body contorted and grew, the clothes and skin shifted into a much larger, muscular entity with pink skin and reddish pink tattoos like a Polynesian warrior.

Its face looked nothing like a human. Its head narrowed into a pointed beak shape, only its jaws separated horizontally and vertically into four mandibles that blended in well with its head's shape. It sported nine glowing eyes that stared into Nucleon's very soul. Four small horns pierced the back of its head.

"I cannot free you now at this time. Be patient. Spread the word. Your world will change and you will be one to ready it with me." The creature declared.

"I-I-I..." Nucleon sat frozen in terror and awe.

"Fear not, your savior is here. I am Promethys."

Then, it shrunk back down, retaking the form of the guard and marching away.

Nucleon's shock twisted into a hopeful smile. "I... I was right.. I did it! I DID IT!"


End file.
